One Hundred and One Technologies - From the South for the South (IDRC, 1992, 231 p.) Communication and information 90. Trilingual training package for video production 91. Using video to introduce new technologies 92. Children as agents of change 93. Policies to limit effects of volcanic disasters in Latin America 94. Procedure to obtain infant mortality rates in marginalized areas 95. An information system for child protection agencies 96. Minisis multilingual software for information management and research 97. Information on human rights 98. Redatam software package to access and use small-area census and other data 99. Information system for juvenile courts 100. CGNET a network for agricultural research 101. Computer model for analyzing third world economies

One Hundred and One Technologies - From the South for the South (IDRC, 1992, 231 p.)

Communication and information

90. Trilingual training package for video production

Video has become a new and important tool used by many Third World groups for popular education, information, and training. With portable video, groups now have an inexpensive and manageable medium with which to create their own material according to their own cultural tradition and needs. Lack of or poor training of users of the medium, however, often makes video ineffective.

Montreal-based Vidéo Tiers-Monde collaborated with the Instituto pare América Latina on a trilingual training package (English, French, and Spanish) for using portable video. This self-training package includes a 45-minute video on all aspects of production and distribution, supported by three illustrated booklets containing technical information.

The kit can be used in the classroom during training seminars or be a “teacher” to people who are learning to use video on their own.

The training package was developed in Canada and Honduras and has been tested in Chile, Peru, and Zimbabwe. More than 600 copies have been distributed in Algeria, Argentina, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Uruguay, and Zaire.

Prerequisites Adequate power supply and access to a video unit and a television screen.

Potential users NGOs and community groups that want to use video as an organizing/development tool.

Cost and availability

The kit is available in English, French, and Spanish. Italian and Swedish versions are in the works. Approximate prices (Can) are as follows: English: $250; French: $120; Spanish: $75. Orders from developing countries for English and French versions are also about $75.

Contact

All languages in NTSC standard:

Alain Ambrosi, Vidéo Tiers-Monde
3575 Saint-Laurent, Suite 608
Montréal, PQ
Canada H2X 2T7
Tel.: (514) 982-0770; Fax: (514)
982-2408

French or Italian kit in PAL standard:

Jean-Paul Guillet
Organisation catholique internationale du cinéma et de l’audiovisuel
Pal 220 San Calisto, 00120, Città del
Vaticano
Rome, Italy
Tel.: (39-6) 698-7255; Telex: (504) 2014 C.I. VA OCIC;
Fax: (39-6) 698-7335

In Spanish for all Latin American countries (NTSC or PAL):

Instituto pare América Latina
AP 270031, Lima 27, Peru
Tel.: (51-14) 61.79.49; Telex: 25202
PE HCSAR;
Cable: IPALC; Fax: (51-14) 46.63.32

91. Using video to introduce new technologies

Community participation and organization are essential to the effective introduction of new technologies. Based on the experience of introducing UNIMADE handpumps in several communities in Costa Rica, the Fundación Tecnológica de Costa Rica (FUNDATEC), in collaboration with the villagers who participated in the handpump project, developed a set of dynamic participatory strategies for introducing new technologies (particularly water supply and sanitation technologies) in rural areas. Out of this process they produced a series of video training modules in Spanish entitled Con Calor de Amigos.

These training modules do not constitute a “how-to” package, but are designed to promote reflection and discussion, to encourage development workers to look critically at their own attitudes and methods, and to help in the development of effective strategies. They stress the importance of building awareness, self-esteem, and confidence as a prerequisite to technical and material development. For FUNDATEC, “appropriate technologies” imply that both technical and social aspects are considered in any technology dissemination project.

Each module comprises a short video in NTSC format, accompanied by printed material - an easy-to-read pamphlet providing a synopsis of each module and a manual for animators to lead discussion. Using TV-style situation dramas, the videos dramatize key human elements in the relations between field workers and communities that can contribute to or prevent the success of community-based interventions. The videos are designed to be presented in a discussion format.

The following eight modules make up the package. Two narrative voices provide the perspectives of the NGO and of the community.

· Los Expertos: this video looks at the NGO world, the handpump project, and the theme of community participation on a theoretical level. It covers the setting up of a multidisciplinary team, and the problems that arise when people from different career backgrounds work together.

· El Arranque: this video looks at the community, its living conditions and health conditions, and the decision by the NGO and the community to undertake a common project. It covers the new experiences coming out of the first visit of the project team and the community.

· Encuentros: this video shows initial contacts and reactions, convocations and meetings, as well as the human and professional reactions of team members from various fields.

Los Bigotes de la Pulga: this video covers health education, the discovery of the microbial world (using a microscope), and the need for handpumps. Because it is difficult to understand the existence of something you can’t see, it is also difficult to correlate some diseases with water. The microscope becomes a tool to open people’s minds to a new concept.

Enredados: the community doesn’t accept the rules of the game. The local committee matures with experience and takes the project into its own hands. They present their own decision to the community rather than the project team’s choice.

· El Turno: there is a shift in attitudes, an increased emphasis on larger realities. Both the community and the project team have many other concerns in their lives other than the project.

Mi Bomba: this module shows the appropriation of the technology and training in handpump installation and maintenance. When someone is able to understand how the technology works, can change that technology, and teach others about it, one can speak of true appropriation

· La Instructora: the final video looks at the training of instructors from the community, from both NGO and community perspectives. It demonstrates, through the real process lived by a local woman, that local people are better able to reproduce the project experiences in their own daily language, using their own examples. The “instructora” learns that she is able to go beyond her traditional housewife role.

Local actors took part in the videos as well as professionals. The production provided training to local people in the use of video and became a catalyst for further drama activities in the community.

The project reached the following conclusions regarding the strategies used for introducing the handpumps:

· It is essential to look at community participation, health and hygiene, and cultural values when introducing any new technology;

It must be possible to repair and maintain the technology locally to create a real sense of local “ownership”;

Community participation must be real and direct in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the project;

The technology becomes a key element that must be clearly linked to related topics, such as preventive health care, environmental sanitation, reforestation, community organizing and administration;

Training of local instructors returns the capacity for knowledge-sharing to the community, and increases self-esteem and humanitarian values;

· Community participation is a dynamic process that can’t be summarized in a rigid “format.”

Potential users

Community field workers, for use in their organizational and promotion activities; NGO staff and government fieldworkers, to sensitize them to the process of community involvement in the introduction of new technologies, especially water supply technologies.

Contact

Elias Rosales Escalante
Fundación Tecnológica de Costa Rica
Apartado 159 - 7050, Cartago, Costa Rica
Tel.: 51-53-33 ext. 2335
Fax: (506) 51-5971; (506) 51-5348; or
(506) 51-1552

Resources and publications

· As well as the videos and related materials, four manuals in Spanish were developed by the project, on the following topics: health and hygiene; rehabilitating hand-dug wells with ferrocement; handpump installation, repair, and maintenance; work manual for community instructors on how to organize and lead workshops on health issues, community organizing, and administration.

· The final report submitted to IDRC on the production of the videos provides detailed information on the community participation process.

92. Children as agents of change

During the 1980s, there was a growing recognition among educators and health workers that children can be effective change agents in the areas of health and hygiene. Children often communicate and share more than adults, and in some cases are more literate than their parents. Many children also have responsibility for younger siblings while their parents work.

The “child-to-child” approach was developed and named during the Year of the Child (1979) by a group of health and education professionals. The goal was to improve health and reduce infant mortality by engendering positive health practices among children. Based on activity-oriented learning methods, the approach is now used in programs in over 70 different countries. These range from structured programs in schools to the participation of children in community health programs in urban slums.

There are two main goals in the child-to-child approach:

· Making children competent through activity-based learning that can be applied in their everyday lives;

· Using children as change agents in the environment (through sanitation or tree-planting programs), with other children (by using positive health practices in sibling care), with their families (by sharing their knowledge with parents), and in their communities (through plays, participation in immunization campaigns, etc.).

Programs in different countries emphasize different aspects. For example some programs emphasize community activities, while others will focus on teaching children effective sibling care. People in each community know best how to adapt the concept to local conditions.

The following are examples of programs using the child-tochild approach in India, where the concept is being widely applied.

· In Malvani, a health clinic uses local children as outreach workers in community health programs. These “mini-doctors” take younger children to the clinic for examinations and check them for scabies. They apply simple treatments under the supervision of a health worker and explain to their charges the importance of cleanliness. Responsible for some six families each, they encourage mothers to bring in their babies for vaccinations. Other community activities include plays and skits (for example on malaria), storytelling, action songs, puppetry, and the sale of nutritious snacks to replace fried or sweet street snacks. In an IDRC-sponsored evaluation undertaken by the Aga Khan Foundation, it was found that child-volunteers were instrumental in identifying 477 cases of scabies, 233 cases of vitamin deficiency, 979 cases of anemia and 150 cases of tuberculosis. They performed 289 demonstrations of oral rehydration therapy.

The Mobile Creche program runs some 20 daycare centres on construction sites. They have incorporated activity-based teaching of health and nutrition into their programs. An evaluation of this program showed that parents were accepting their children’s messages about oral rehydration therapy, and the negative impact of alcohol and chewing tobacco.

A number of schools in Bombay and New Delhi have begun teaching health topics in science class using child-to-child approaches. In New Delhi, the project began in 32 schools in 1987, and expanded to 108 schools in 1990.

In rural India, various programs including nonformal education given to children before school and in daycare centres, provide training to the older children who bring their younger siblings to the centres. In Rajistan and Gujarat, the Centre for Health and Nutrition Awareness provides training and technical support to local NGOs in teaching children basic health skills and encouraging their dissemination through skits, neighbourhood cleanups, and the recruitment of infants for vaccination.

The programs offer particular opportunities for girls to develop self-confidence and be more visible in the community. They also can be helpful in disseminating important information to out-of-school youth.

In Honduras, IDRC has also been involved in a similar program. In the urban slums of Tegucigalpa, a program using child-to-child techniques is being used to improve health and sanitation. The children observe the relation between sanitation and health through visits to clinics, and “clean” and “unclean” sites. They are taught the importance and methods for handwashing, boiling water, maintaining latrines, etc. They prepare skits and plays for families and school, and draw posters to take home and post in their communities.

Prerequisites

Organizations wishing to incorporate the child-to-child approach in their programs will require training in activity-based learning methods.

Potential users

Schools, daycare centres, health clinics and community organizations that have access to children and want to have an impact on the health of the community.

Contact

Rajni Khanna, Program Officer Health and Education
Aga Khan Foundation
Sarojini House, 2nd Floor, 6 Bhagwan Dass Road
New Delhi 110001, India
Judith Evans Aga Khan Foundation
Rue Versonnex 7, 1211 Geneva 6
Switzerland
Tel.: (022) 360344
Telex: 27545 AKF CH
Cable: AKFGVA Geneva

In Honduras:

Douglas A. Matamoras c/o Project HOPE/Honduras AP 1587, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Tel.: 22-4806 Telex: 1501 HOPE HO

The Institute of Child Health of London University (UK) collects and shares information on the child-to-child approach around the world. They can be reached at:

Child-to-Child London University Institute of Child Health Institute of Education 20 Bedford Way London, WC1H OAL, United Kingdom

Resources and publications

· Activity sheets and readers in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish (some titles) are available from: Teaching-Aids at Low Cost, PO Box 49, St Albans, Herts AL1 4AX, United Kingdom. Tel.: (0)727 53869. English materials produced in India are available from the Aga Khan Foundation, India (see address above); French materials available from l’Enfant pour l’enfant, Institut Santé et Développement, 15 rue de l’École de Médecine, 75270 Paris - cedex 06, France; Nepali readers available from Centre for Health Learning Materials, TU Institute of Medicine, PO Box 2633, Kathmandu, Nepal; Urdu readers available from Hamdard Foundation, Pakistan, Hamdard Centre, Nazimabad, Karachi 18, Pakistan.

· One free set of activity sheets (English; Arabic and Spanish available in 1992) can be requested by overseas groups. Contact the Child-to-Child Trust at the Institute of Child Health, above.

· Child-to-Child, Another Path to Learning, Hugh Hawes (UIE Monographs 13), 1988, ISBN 92820 1049X. Available through sales agents for Unesco publications and bookshops.

· Aga Khan Foundation (India) has produced a video about the child-to-child projects they have sponsored (1988), see address above.

93. Policies to limit effects of volcanic disasters in Latin America

The 1985 volcanic eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia left 22 000 people dead and 6000 families homeless. The high losses were not inevitable. They were due to several factors including a lack of systematic volcano monitoring, the absence of public policies for disaster prevention and preparedness, and insufficient coordination among the various bodies responsible for hazard assessment and emergency planning.

Researchers who studied the El Ruiz eruption concluded that while there was sufficient scientific information to point to the likelihood of an eruption, a number of social and institutional factors prevented both effective communication of this information to the communities at risk, and the elaboration of specific emergency plans to deal with a possible disaster.

Vulcanoes en el Peru con actividad eruptiva historica

Researchers in Peru and Colombia have now developed specific policies for volcanic zones in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Peru based on existing scientific, technical and organizational capacities in each country.

The researchers began by studying the 1985 El Ruiz eruption and the response of local and national governments and international agencies, as well as the inhabitants of the region. They assessed the scientific, technical, and management capabilities needed to limit the effects of volcanic eruptions, as well as the capabilities already existing in each country, and made policy recommendations. They also produced a video aimed at educating communities at risk, organized an international workshop in Bogotá, and identified ways to share expertise and resources throughout the region.

Policy recommendations are in the areas of prevention of casualties (through education and use of the media) and reaction to eruptions (using civil defense measures). The researchers have identified specific volcanoes that pose the greatest risk and have evaluated existing volcanic maps.

Specific recommendations deal with, among other things, the need to decentralize administrative responsibility for emergency planning and response; the need to establish better linkages between the scientific community and the mass media; and the importance of ongoing geological and historical analysis of high-risk areas, including, where warranted, the elaboration of detailed volcanic maps.

The recommendations stress the need for equipment as well as political will to implement permanent monitoring of high-risk volcanoes, and encourage international organizations to support this capacity in developing countries.

Potential users

Governments and organizations involved in emergency planning in volcanic zones.

Contact

Dr Alberto Giesecke, Director

CERESIS (Centro Regional de Sismologia pare America del Sur)

Postal address: apartado 14-0363, Lima, Peru

Street address: Av. Arenales 431, Of. 702, Lima, Peru Tel.: 247421; Fax: 51-14 336750

Telex: 20053 PE PB LIMTC Atención
CERESIS
Cable: CERESIS

Resources and publications

· Riesgo Volcánico Evaluación y Mitigación en America Latina, Aspectos Sociales, Institucionales y Científcos, CERESIS, 1989.

· El Neuado del Ruiz y el Riesgo Volcánico en America Latina, CERESIS, 1990 (Executive summary).

· A la Sombra del Volcán (In the Shadow of the Volcano), Spanish video, 36 minutes.

94. Procedure to obtain infant mortality rates in marginalized areas

The infant mortality rate provides useful information on levels of development, child rearing behaviour, sanitation and health, and communities at risk. However, it is often difficult to measure accurately and inexpensively.

Areas where the infant mortality rate is high are often the most difficult to assess, due to the lack of hospitals, records, and health infrastructure, as well as the isolation of communities and low literacy levels. Retrospective surveys are expensive and time-consuming, and mothers often don’t remember specifics about pregnancies and deaths. The average time between the collection of the information and its analysis is 2 years.

Three organizations in Argentina, Chile, and the Dominican Republic have tested a new procedure to obtain infant mortality rates in poor areas. The method is simple, fast, and inexpensive.

When a woman delivers a baby at a hospital, a clinic, or at home with the help of a midwife, she is asked three simple questions on the results of her previous pregnancy:

· Have you had a previous baby born alive?
· If yes, is that child now alive or dead?
· If the child is dead, did he/she die younger or older than one year of age?

With this method, health officials can accumulate accurate indirect estimates of the infant mortality rate. The method goes directly to the mother for information and reduces memory errors. It can be incorporated into a permanent system of data collection using hospitals, clinics, and midwives; or it can be used in routine census surveys.

Accurate estimates using this method were obtained in Argentina, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras. The results were comparable to those obtained through traditional survey methods. Further research is being undertaken in Brazil to refine and test the method in different contexts, and look at ways to disseminate it for general use.

Potential users Health and development planners, government ministries, NGOs, local governments, and communities.

Contact

In Argentina:

Eduardo Ramis, German Pollitzer, Jorge Somoza Fundación Cruzada Patagónica Gines Ponte s/n Neuquen, Argentina Tel.: (0944) 91286/91295

Centro de Estudios de Población Avda. Corrientes 2817 Piso 7 Buenos Aires, Argentina Tel.: (0541) 9610309/9618195

In Chile:

José Miguel Gúzmán Centro Latinoamericano de Demografia, Casilla 91 Santiago, Chile Tel.: (0562) 485051 up to 485061

In the Dominican Republic:

Bienvenida Rodriguez Consejo Nacional de Población y Familia Avda. San Cristobal esq. Avda. Tiradentes Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Tel.: (01809) 5665866

95. An information system for child protection agencies

The problem of abandoned street children in the cities of Latin America is becoming more acute. Child protection agencies and other organizations working with children are overburdened. In 1987, the National Children’s Institute of Uruguay (INAME) had some 10 000 children (abandoned, orphaned, and young offenders) in its care, and the number keeps growing. Lacking resources and accurate records, the organization can sometimes take days to track down a child in care. As well, there are no inventories of foster homes and available adoptive parents and their characteristics.

With the help of the Inter-American Children’s Institute, INAME is now using a computerized information system to keep track of the children and the services available to them. As well, statistics and records generated by the system help to identify trends and problems and to improve services.

The system, called SIPI, is based on Clipper and dBase III+ software. Manuals describe step-by-step procedures for data collection, validation, and correction. The package includes a pilot database with access through telephone lines. Currently some 150 institutions (daycare centres, rehabilitation centres) call INAME at a prearranged time to transmit information on the children’s whereabouts. The database includes some 300 variables (name, birth date, height, date of registration, reason for being care, etc.).

The system was developed in consultation with child protection agencies in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Jamaica and Peru. The information structure developed through this process is therefore more universal and independent of the administrative structure of different organizations. Negotiations are currently underway to transfer the system to Brazil and Ecuador.

Prerequisites IBM or compatible microcomputer. The system works in a network environment.

Potential users Child protection agencies and other organizations working with large numbers of children.

Contact

Julio Max Rosenblatt, IIN-OAS
Casilla de Correo 16212
Montevideo (11600), Uruguay
Tel.: (5982) 47 - 2150
Fax: (5982) 47 - 3242; Telex: 23119
IIN UY

96. Minisis multilingual software for information management and research

Organizations involved in information management in the South need appropriate tools. This includes having access to software that can produce and manage information in their own language and character set.

MINISIS is a versatile, multilingual, easy-to-learn information management system developed by IDRC for use on the Hewlett Packard 3000 family of minicomputers.

The system is flexible enough to handle many different applications. For example, IDRC uses MINISIS to manage the operations of the library, the Centre’s mailing list of some 30 000 names, and a research project data bank, called IDRIS, which contains information on research activities by IDRC and other donor agencies. The system can be used to search for information on thousands of topics, and computer specialists can use it to develop their own specialized information tools.

Other examples of applications supported by MINISIS include: registries of correspondence; directories of consultants and experts; land data banks; press clipping services; record and music libraries; legislative assembly documentation systems; germplasm registries; meteorological information databases; student record systems; chemical toxicology databases.

One of MINISIS’s most useful attributes for international organizations is its capacity to operate in and process data stored in a variety of Roman-based languages as well as Arabic, Chinese, Greek, and Thai, through the use of “dialog files” that are independent of the software. IDRC distributes the software in English, French, and Spanish. The Arabic version is distributed in cooperation with the Arab League, which has translated the dialog files into Arabic. A Chinese version has also been produced.

First developed in 1978, the system is now being used by 350 organizations around the world, some two thirds in the South.

The MINISIS Users’ Group is a forum for users to share ideas as well as specialized software they may have developed. This international group meets once a year, and several regional groups hold regular meetings. As well, IDRC manages a library of software tools developed by users, and distributes the software to all MINISIS users. Regional MINISIS Resource Centres provide training and assistance to users in their region (see addresses below).

Organizations can acquire MINISIS by signing a licence agreement. The software is provided with documentation in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, or Arabic, and training in the use of the system is also provided. Each user then receives any new enhanced versions of MINISIS and any repairs that have been made to correct reported problems. Users also receive a newsletter with articles relating to MINISIS activities.

MINISIS version G.01 is the one currently in use. IDRC is developing an improved version (Version H) which will enable MINISIS to be used on low-cost DOS-based microcomputers used by most nongovernmental organizations. It is expected to be available in the spring of 1993.

Prerequisites

For Version G.01: Hewlett Packard series 3000 minicomputer, with 256 K of memory, and the following software: Version IV or later of MPE, HP FOS including EDITOR, FCOPY, SORT/MERGE, and KSAM.

Version H, to be available in 1993, will require an IBM or compatible PC/XT/AT microcomputer with 640K RAM and a MS or PC DOS 3.3 or higher operating system.

Potential users

Documentation centres, information centres and departments, universities, research agencies, and any organization involved in information management.

Managing libraries is one of MINlSIS’ many possible applications.

Cost and availability

The software is available at no cost to organizations in the Third World. Elsewhere, it is licensed through commercial distributors.

Contact

MINISIS Outreach
Information Sciences Division
International Development Research Centre
PO Box 8500, Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1G 3H9
Tel.: (613) 236-6163; Fax: (613) 238-7230
Telex: 053-3753; Cable: RECENTRE
Regional Resource Centres

Arab speaking countries:

· M. Mohamed Gasmi, Directeur du département, Technologie de [‘information, Arab League Documentation and Information Centre, Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt

Latin America:

· Ing. Enrique Barreto, Coordinator, Centro de Recursos MINISIS-América Latina, Centro de Información Científica y Humanística, Cindad Universitaria, AP 70-392, 04510 México D.F., Mexico

China:

· Mr Jiang Xiang-Dong, Computer Centre, Scientech Information Centre, Ministry of Machinery and Electronics Industries, 1 Nanli Baiwanzhuang, Beijing 100037, People’s Republic of China

Francophone West Africa:

· M. Dieudonné Kameni, Organisation africaine de la propriété intellectuelle, BP 887, Yaoundé, Cameroon

97. Information on human rights

Human rights violations affect large numbers of people around the world. Many organizations collect vast amounts of data on these events, to assist imprisoned, ill-treated, and displaced people, or to locate those who have disappeared. Accurate information about rights, laws, processes, and evidence of violations allows individuals, groups, and organizations to take action. However, when each organization uses a different format, it becomes difficult to make comparisons and cross-check information, a problem which, for example, hindered the processing of cases involving disappearances in post-military Argentina.

The Human Rights Information and Documentation System International, or HURIDOCS, has developed a system of standard formats for recording human rights events and cases that will allow faster and more efficient exchange of information among organizations. This follows on the development, in 1985, of standard formats for the recording and exchange of bibliographic information on human rights, now used by some 50 documentation centres.

The standard formats are designed to:

· Be a practical aid to documentation for action;
· Provide a coherent and compatible system within an organization;
· Provide for rapid, effective, and precise retrieval;
· Interface with both manual and computerized systems;
· Enhance networking;
· Be flexible enough to meet the needs of different organizations;
· Provide “action material” to the more formal information channels;
· Provide a basis for higher-quality statistical research.

The system can be used manually or by computer. A manual in English has been published, and there are plans to translate it into French and Spanish.

Although the formats can be used for any violations, their emphasis is on torture, arrests and detentions, deaths and killings, displacements and destruction of property, disappearances, deportations, external exile, and banishments. The following formats are included in the package: information on the event, on the victim, on the source, on the alleged perpetrator, on interventions, and on additional details.

The formats can be used separately or in combination. They are a tool to be integrated into systems by each organization, according to its needs. They are fast and easy to complete, but not simplistic, and aim to facilitate analysis.

Each organization is free to develop its own software for using the formats. For organizations using computers but unable to develop their own software, a HURIDOCS software program called EVSYS will be available in English, French, and Spanish as soon as translations are complete. An earlier version is available in English and Spanish.

EVSYS, like the formats themselves, is a tool that will allow organizations to develop their own systems according to their own needs. The software can be used on microcomputers using the DOS operating system, and will eventually be able to run under other operating systems.

The next step is the development of a training program that can be used worldwide. Already one member of the HURIDOCS Task Force has provided training in the standard formats and the EVSYS software to 17 human rights organizations in Colombia and five in Ecuador.

Potential users

All organizations involved in human rights work can use the formats. Small legal and human rights groups can improve their effectiveness through cooperation and exchange with larger international organizations such as the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and Amnesty International. Human rights include the right to development. This makes the formats potentially useful to other groups involved in a wide range of social issues such as housing, consumer rights, refugee work, and disaster relief.

Contact

HURIDOCS International Torggate 27, 0183 Oslo 1, Norway Tel.: 47-2-20-02-47; Fax: 47-2-11-05-01 Telex: (051) 918023 geonet G (quote on first line: “Box:GEO2:HURIDOCS”) E-mail: Geonet: GEO2:HURIDOCS

98. Redatam software package to access and use small-area census and other data

To plan adequate services and development initiatives at a local level, planners, policymakers, and researchers, among others, need access to the wealth of information generated by the census process. However, it can be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to access specific information on small areas such as townships, city neighbourhoods, or even particular blocks.

In 1985, the United Nations Latin American Demographic Centre (CELADE) in Chile developed a userfriendly interactive software package that helps to introduce disaggregated population and housing information into development planning. It provides organizations with a simple means to store and access large amounts of census or other data on a microcomputer. Called REDATAM (for Retrieval of Data for Small Areas by Microcomputer), it stores all the original census or other microdata on a hard disk or laser disk in a hierarchical database. Users can obtain tabulations to their own specifications rapidly, at low cost, and without the assistance of a programmer.

A new version, called REDATAM-Plus, has been developed and incorporates the following features:

· The database structure will be changed into a multidisciplinary database that can include microdata from two or more censuses or surveys as well as aggregate information from sectors other than population and housing, such as rainfall, clinic services, or population projects in specific areas;

· The system will be able to interface with the Geographic Information System, or GIS software, which will allow the user to define easily the areas being analyzed, as well as to produce graphs and maps;

· The system will be able to operate in a Local Area Network, allowing several people to use it simultaneously;

· It will have the capacity to produce camera-ready tabulations for publication.

REDATAM-Plus allows the user to create self-contained sub-databases that can be moved to regional offices. There are also various facilities for the administration and editing of the databases.

There are certain limitations to the software that users should be aware of. REDATAM-Plus is designed to work with data that is relatively stable (such as data from a census or survey, or vital statistics) and will not be changed once it is in the REDATAM database. It cannot replace commercial database systems for information that must be updated or corrected frequently, nore does it replace conventional statistical packages such as SPSS, SAS, etc. Its main function is to facilitate the rapid manipulation, selection, and processing of subsets of data on the microcomputer.

The previous REDATAM 3.1 package has been used in over 25 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Egypt, India, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe. A French version of REDATAM 3.1 is being distributed in African countries. During 1991, a number of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean began using test versions of REDATAM-Plus.

Prerequisites

An E;M or compatible microcomputer with 640K RAM memory and a DOS 3.0 or higher operating system. If the area of interest to the user is likely to have hundreds of thousands or millions of cases, or if a GIS will eventually be employed, a 386 running at 20 MHz or faster is recommended along with a coprocessor. The software and tutorial database occupy about 5.2 Mb. A single census with one million records will normally compress into about 20 Mb.

A programmer may be required to convert a large census database into a REDATAM-Plus database, but once it is created, users can work on the system without assistance. The demonstration package includes a tutorial based on a ready-made population and housing database with about 7000 people living in a hypothetical country.

CELADE can provide technical assistance and training on the creation of REDATAM-Plus databases and the use of population-related applications with GIS to Latin American and Caribbean countries, and possibly elsewhere.

Potential users

Development planners, municipal and provincial authorities, researchers, statisticians, housing authorities, health planners, economists, demographers, etc. Some examples of uses of REDATAM include: detection of pockets of poverty at the municipal level and identification of possible social investments (Chile); a study on-the geographical distribution of poor communities (Paraguay); the elaboration of a demographic map (Uruguay); the availability of health workers (Pan American Health Organization); and a database for road maintenance (Costa Rica). The English-speaking Caribbean countries and various Latin American countries have, or are planning to disseminate their 1990 census data using REDATAM-Plus.

Cost and availability

The software and user manuals for REDATAM 3.1 and REDATAM-Plus are available in English and Spanish. REDATAM 3.1 will be discontinued around March 1992, except for the French version A demonstration disquette for REDATAM-Plus in English and Spanish will be available free on request after March 1992. If the requestor decides to use REDATAM-Plus, the software will be provided with a user manual in English or Spanish at a low cost (estimated at US $50 to $70 plus postage and handling) to governmental organizations and NGOs in developing countries. A French version of REDATAM-Plus is planned.

Contact

Dr Arthur Conning Chief, Population Information and Technology Area Mr Ari Silva, Head, Data Processing Section Latin American Demographic Centre United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Casilla 91, Santiago, Chile Tel.: 011-56-2-208-5051 or 206-1519 Fax: 011-56-2-208-0252 or 228-1947 Cable: UNATIONS

Resources and publications

· REDATAM Informa, a newsletter for REDATAM users in Spanish, produced by the Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas, Chile, Casilla 498-3, Santiago, Chile; Fax: (562) 696-1929.

· Various papers on REDATAM and REDATAM-Plus have been written by CELADE and published in various periodicals. Contact CELADE for more information.

99. Information system for juvenile courts

In Colombia, delays in juvenile (or family) courts have created a crisis of confidence in the system. Citizens feel alienated, defenseless and fearful due to the ineffectiveness and delays in the courts. For example women have to wait up to 5 years for a judgement on child support. The inefficiency of the courts can also lead to corruption and prevent timely information from reaching judges, lawyers, social workers, and litigants.

The Instituto SER de Investigación has developed a software package to address this problem. Designed for civil court cases involving minors (child support, parental rights, custody, adoption, etc.), it enables the court or judge’s office to record daily information on cases and schedules and improve notification processes. It can assist in analyzing bottlenecks and provide statistical information on caseloads for the Ministry of Justice. It can help court staff with scheduling and make information more accessible to the public, which in turn should help to improve the public’s perception of the legal system.

The package is currently in use in a family court judge’s office in Bogotá, and has shown excellent results. It is used for data entry on child support requests, division of assets, etc., and to manage information on court processes and outcomes. Since the system was adopted, the productivity of the judge’s office has increased by about 68%. This has had a direct stabilizing effect on what can be a confusing judicial process.

The system not only increases the quantity of work that can be done, but also improves the quality. For example, staff have more time to keep abreast of the latest developments in legislation and jurisprudence, and show increased motivation.

The software and user’s manual are available in Spanish. The system is easy to install and use.

Prerequisites

An IBM or compatible microcomputer with 20 M capacity.

Potential users

Juvenile courts and judges’ offices in Spanish-speaking countries.

Cost and availability

Use of the software is negotiated on case by case basis. Users normally require modifications to the system for it to meet their specific needs.

Contact

Instituto SER de Investigación Carrera 15A No. 45-65, AA 1978 Bogotá, Colombia Tel.: 2880100; Fax: (571) 288-2106

100. CGNET a network for agricultural research

An effective research community can facilitate the search for appropriate solutions to the many problems facing agriculture and food self-sufficiency, especially in the South. The strengthening of crucial research linkages can contribute to this process.

CGNET Locations

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a grouping of international agricultural research centres in both the North and the South, has pioneered a computerized communication network called CGNET. The network was developed to address the need to improve the quality, quantity, and speed of communications. In light of increasing costs of conventional communication methods (phone, fax, telex, cable), and decreasing or frozen budgets, a lower-cost method was needed to enable CGIAR members to exchange information on research and solutions.

The result, CGNET, is a network that has been in daily use for the past 7 years. It began with a feasibility study on potential users’ needs, technical possibilities, and potential means of implementation. A recommendation was then made on appropriate technology and procedures, and a pilot project designed. Initially, staff at seven centres were trained in the use of an internationally available computer-based messaging system.

CGNET now provides its users with the following possibilities:

· Computer messaging;

· The collection of data from field sites, which can be sent directly to research centres;

· Joint authorship of reports and papers;

· Easy distribution of surveys and reports (a text can be sent to several locations at once, replacing costly mail, fax, or telex);

· The use of news collection services maintained by the major wire services which are linked to the CGNET system; these services can also provide such things as the USDA’s monthly statistics on wheat rust or accurate daily reports of world exchange rates;

· The ordering and publicizing of publications;

· A gateway to the World Bank electronic network;

· Gateways to other e-mail networks, such as commercial message services and academic networks;

· An alternative means of sending faxes or telexes: messages can be deposited for transmission to telex or fax machines in countries with lower fax and telex rates; CGNET will also try to deliver a telex or fax to a location with unreliable telecommunications systems until the message gets through, saving the sender much time and frustration;

· Easy communication with advisory boards;

· Easy communication with researchers who are traveling or on leave.

The network has been very successful. Before its implementation, CGIAR had been spending US $2 million annually on phone, telex, telegram, and postage costs. Savings from using CGNET have been estimated at US $3 million by 1990, and perhaps as much as a further $3.5 million in reduced travel. As well, the network quickly expanded to include users outside CGIAR. By 1991, there were over 300 CGNET mailboxes in 48 countries and nearly all of the CGIAR centres were online. The network also provides a model of what is possible in computer communications.

A consultant who worked on setting up the initial system established a private firm called CGNET Services International, which provides administrative assistance, training, and consultative services to the participating network members in addition to overall network management.

Prerequisites

To join the network: a microcomputer, a modem, and a telephone line. In areas where telephone lines are very noisy, better quality modems are required. The situation will differ in each country and area. Some countries require special permits to operate a modem and e-mail. The electronic mail installation should include a few days of training for local staff.

Cost and availability

In areas where there are inexpensive data network services (mostly in the North and some Southern capital cities such as Mexico City), users use a local phone call to access the data network, which puts them in touch with CGNET. A low-cost (US $60 to $150) modem can be used. In some countries, the data networks can be expensive, because they charge high rates, or because a long-distance call is needed to reach them. This increases the cost per page, and a more expensive (US $200) modem is recommended to compensate for noisy telephone lines. In countries that do not have national data networks, users must dial a network in another country, which considerably increases costs. High-quality modems (US $600) must be used to ensure error correction.

Approximate costs for using the system have been estimated as follows: for users with access to low-cost data networks, US $30 per month in fees and $0.21 per page sent or received; for users with access to higher-cost data networks, US $85 per month in fees and $0.98 per page sent or received; for users who must dial another country, costs run from US $160 to $360 per month in fees and $0.68 to $2.18 per page sent or received. These costs can vary a great deal according to the quality of local phone systems and the way the system is used.

Potential users

Researchers, scientists, planners, administrators, and others concerned with addressing the problem of food self-sufficiency. As well, donor agencies that fund agricultural research, scientific organizations in related disciplines (resource management, forestry, environmental studies), and national research institutions in developing countries could all benefit from a CGNET connection.

Contact

Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research Secretariat
1818 H Street N.W., Washington, DC, USA 20433
Tel.: (202) 4738951; Fax: (202) 3348750
Telex: 82987 WORLDBANK; E-mail: Dialcom
157:CGI001

CGNET Services International
1024 Hamilton Court
Menlo Park, California USA 94025
Tel.: (415) 325-3061; Fax: (415) 325-2313
Telex: 490 000 5788 (CGN UI)
E-mail: Internet Postmaster@CGNET.COM;
Dialcom 157:CGI100

Resources and publications

· International Computer Networking: The Experience of the CGIAR, Linksey, Novak, Ozgediz, and Balson, to be published 1992, IDRC.

101. Computer model for analyzing third world economies

Researchers in Colombia have adapted an economic model used in the North for policymakers in the South, taking into account Third World economic conditions, such as high inflation rates and different financial systems.

The research was undertaken by the Fundación pare la Educación Superior y el Desarollo (FEDESAROLLO) to confront the economic crises brought on by debt and the deteriorating primary goods markets. The model allows policymakers to plan careful management of savings and investment.

In two previous phases, the project developed separate models of the “real” economy (savings, investment, balance of payments), and the “financial” economy (role of the central bank, the financial system, determination of interest ratea). The third phase integrated the two models into a third that can be used to determine the influence of financial variables (money, credit, and interest rates) on the real economy (production, consumption, investment, and balance of payments), and vice versa.

The model can be used to address issues such as the taxation of primary goods exports, further devaluation of the peso, management of foreign debt, and import controls. It can also simulate the outcomes of monetary policies, interest rate controls, and sectoral credit policies. A number of simulations carried out to replicate the behaviour of the Colombian economy between 1980 and 1985 illustrated the model’s ability to capture adequately the reality of the country’s finances.

The technology is based on the adaptation of a Northern model - the computable general equilibrium (CGE) model - to meet the needs and requirements of the Colombian economy. Within the CGE model is a social accounting matrix, a tool used to assess the effects of policy changes on different income groups. These models are at the forefront of the development of new techniques for analyzing Third World economies.

Prerequisites

To run such models, reasonably powerful desktop computers are needed (with 640K RAM and a hard disk of at least 10M). Although the use of the model entails some degree of computer knowledge, there are several solution packages available that greatly facilitate the process. In Colombia, the package is used in connection with a program named GAMS (General Algebraic Modeling System), originally developed by the World Bank and presently distributed by GAMS Development Corporation (1520 New Mapshire Ave. N.W., Washington, DC, USA 20036). Researchers at FEDESAROLLO have been approached to provide training in the use of these models to researchers in the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.

Potential users

Policymakers and analysts in the public and private sectors. The Colombian government’s planning department is currently using the model to evaluate the effects of macroeconomic policies and to make projections. It has also been used to evaluate the impact of specific agricultural policies, including changes in internal coffee prices negotiated between government and coffee producers. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is using the model to evaluate the effects of structural adjustment on the poor. Although the program is useful mainly for Colombia and is not sold commercially, the experience acquired by FEDESAROLLO has enabled them to develop similar programs for other uses, such as one for macroeconomic programming in Nicaragua (used by the Central Bank and the Ministry of Economics).

Contact

Mr Eduardo Lora Fundación pare la Educación Superior y el Desarollo AA 75074, Bogotá, Colombia Fax: 571-212-6073 Cable: FEDESARROLLO Bogotá